Sucker-rod slip socket



Apr. 10, 1923.

E. J. SSHAFFERI l sUcxER non `SLIP SOCKET Filed Dec. 24, 1921 PatentedApr. l0, 1923.

UNITED ST i Fil-f STICKER-ROD SLIP SOCKET.

Application led lecember 24, 1921. Serial No. 524,689.

To ZZZ whomy t may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST J. .SHAFrnin acitizen of the United States, residing at Tulsa, in the county of Tulsaand State of 0klahoma, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Sucker-Rod Slip Sockets, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates generally to equipment used in deep welloperations, and has to do more particularly with a slip socket forrecovering broken sucker rods from well tubing where the break occurs inthe body portion of the rod-that is, somewhere intermediate the enlargedends where the rod is coupled to adjoining rods of the string.`

I have already contributed to the art, improvements in slip sockets forcatching not only breaks in the body portions of the rods but breaksoccurring atthe welds and couplings. Sockets having this wider range ofadaptability are exhibitedl in my copending applications, Serial Nos.291,799 and 426,974, filed respectively on the 22nd day of April 1919,and on the 29th day of' November, 1920.` While these more elaborate andconsequently more expensive 'devices are indispensable in deep welloperations, nevertheless, inasmuch as the great majority of breaks occurin the body portions of the rods, a simple and inexpensive slip socketfor catching only such breaks has a very extensivel field of utility andis much in demand. A

The objects of my present invention, therefore, are to provide a simple,durable, inexpensive, yet highly efficient slip socket for catchingbreaks in sucker rods, and which is so constructed as to automaticallyassume a hold upon the sucker rod when presented in operative relationthereto and which hold becomes more secure as the socket is'retractedand the string of sucker rods lifted, yet which may be very easilydisengaged from the rod when removed from the tubing; and which ispractically indestructible andi free from disorder; which is veryconvenient of use; and wherein the slip, while having perfect freedom ofreciprocation, so interlocks with the barrel or casing as to be heldpositively against dislodgment therefrom.

An embodiment of the invention wherein the foregoing objects areattained is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Fig.

1 is an elevational view ofy my improved slip socket; Fig. 2 is asection on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a central verticalsection through the socket, indicating the position of the device in awell tubing, suspended from a string of sucker rods, and grasping abroken rod, by including these associated parts in dot-andclash lines. v

The socket comprises a cylindrical barrel 1 that is internally. threadedat its upperv end and is reduced slightly in internal diameter adjacentits lower end to provide a shoulder '2. The lip 3 surrounding the mouthofthe barrelv is inclined upwardly and inwardly at a slight angle lfor apurpose which shall presently appear.

A cap 5 is applied to the upper end of the barrel by having itsexternally threaded reduced lower end screwed into threaded por tion ofthe barrel. j' The cap is provided with a wrenchreceiving portion 6 anda threaded pin 7. A bore 8 leads upwardlythrough the cap from theinterior of the barrel and out through one lsiden of the portion 6. Setwithin opposite sides ofthe barrel 1 are a fixed jaw 10 and a guideplate 11 that are substantially semi-cylindrical in form so as to fitthe barrel. These parts are held in place by screws 12, and to relievethe screws of any shearing vaction due to an end thrust -upon the parts,particularly as when a string of rods is being lifted, the j aw 10 andguide plate 11 fit between the cap 5 and the shoulder 2 of the barrel 1,the jaw and guide plate having complementary shoulders 10a and 11a,respectively engaging said shoulder of the barrel. The lower ends of thejaw and guide plate incline upwardly and inwardly in the plane of thelip 3 of the' barrel.

The inner surface of the plate 11 is shown as straight for a suitablel'distance downwardly from its upward end, 4and continuing therefrom tothe lower end of the plate said surface is'inclinedinwa'rdly at a slightangle, said inclined portion being designated 13. Arranged forcooperation .with the inclined portion '13 is a slip 15 having its outersurface tapered to correspond to the angular inclinationI of the saidportion 13. The slip is held against dislodgement by a stud 16thatprojects through a slot 17 in the plate 11 and has an enlarged head 18that is adapted to .travel within a. wider slot 19 of the barrel. At itsextreme upper end, the slot 17 is made wide enough to pass the head 18toenable the placingof the slip within the socket and its removaltherefrom. However, unless the cap 15 is unscrewed somewhat to permitsuflicient elevation of the slip 15 to bring the pin 16 entirely withinthe widened upper end of the slot 17, t-he head 18 cannot be passedthrough such widened portion. Accordingly, when the device is inoperative condition, the slip 15 cannot be disengaged from the socket.

In considering the operation of the device, it may be assumed that asucker rod A has been broken within 'the well tubing B. My improvedsocket is then applied tothe end of a string of sucker rods, representedat C, by screwing its pin 7 into the coupling D of the lower rod of thestring. It is then lowered by means of said string into the `well tubinguntil its lower end-engages the broken end of rod A. The inclined lip 3of the socket, engaging the end of rod, centers the rod with respect tothe socket and directs it into the opening thereof between the toothedinner surfaces of the jaw 10 and slip 15, the slip 15 riding up alongthe guide plate 11 until it is spaced from the jaw 10 a distance equalto or slightly greater than the diameter of the rod A. The slip 15, by

its own weight, settles down as far as the rod will permit it and thenwhen a pull is exerted upon the socket and the weight of the lostsection of the string of rods is imposed thereon, the hold upon the rodbetween the slip 15 and the jaw 10 is greatly increased and is made morepositive by the embedding of the teeth of the jaw and slip into thesides of the rod. Furthermore, the peculiar shape of the teeth which, aswill be noted in Fig. 3, is straight on the upper sides and inclined onthe lower, greatly enhances the security of the hold.

The bore 8 of the cap 5 is provided for the purpose of allowing thefluid within the tubing to escape through the barrel, so as not toretard the descent of the socket. Upon withdrawing the socket, with thelost string of rods, from the well tubing, the socket may be loweredwith respect to the broken rod sufficiently to break its liold upon therod, and the slip 15 may be held suspended b-y means of the stud y16 toprevent its taking hold again vupon the rod while the socket iswithdrawn endwise from the rod; and should the broken end of the rodhave been inserted far enough into the socket to engage firmly with thecap 5 so that this relative movement between the parts would beimpossible, then the cap 5 may be unscrewed enough to loosen the partsafter which the disengagement of the socket from the rod maybe easilyaccomplished.

Throughout the thickened lower end portion of the plate 11, the slot 17is enlarged laterally along kits outer side to correspond in width to'and, in effect, to constitute a continuation ofthe slot 19 of the barrel1.

This is so the pin 16 may descend to the bottom of the slot, yet beshort enough not to protrude when in its top position beyond theperiphery of the barrel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A slip socket comprising, in combination, a cylindrical barrel, afixed jaw secured within the barrel along one side thereof, a guideplate secured within the barrel in opposed relation to the fixed jaw,the guide plate having a portion that is inclined downwardly andinwardly toward the jaw, a slip having a tapered portion cooperatingwith the inclined portion of the guide plate and provided with meansinterlocking with a slot in the guide plate whereby the slip is retainedagainst dislodgment from said plate.

2. A slip socket comprising, in combination, a supporting element, abarrel secured to said element and depending therefrom, a fixed jaw anda guide plate supported in opposed relation t0 each other inside thebarrel and clamped between a part thereof and the aforesaid supportingelement, the guide plate having a part inclined downwardly and inwardlytoward the jaw, a slip cooperating with the inclined part of the guideplate, and means carried by the slip and interlocking with the guideplate to prevent dislodgment of the slip. j

3. A slip socket comprising, in combination, a supporting element, abarrel secured to said element and depending therefrom,

'the barrel having an internal shoulder adjacent its lower end, a j avvand a guide plate arranged in opposed relation to each other inside thebarrel and clamped between the shoulder thereof and the aforesaidsupporting element, the guide plate having a downwardly and inwardlyinclined part, a slip cooperating with such inclined part, the guideplate having a longitudinal slot that is enlarged at its upper endadjacent the aforesaid supporting element, the barrel having a slotregistering with but wider than the slot of the guide plate, a studprojecting from the slip through the slot of the guide plate and havinga head occupying the slot of the barrel, the head of the stud being ofgreater transverse'dimension than the slot of the guide except wheresaid slot isvenlarged at its upper end, the supporting element beingretractable from within the barrel but serving when in normal relationthereto to prevent the slip from being elevated sufficiently to permitthe head of the stud to pass through the enlarged-upper end of the firstmentioned slot.

4f. A slip socket comprising, in combination, a supporting element, acasing secured to said element and depending therefrom, said casinghaving on its interior along one side, a fixed jaw, the interior surfaceofthe casing opposed to said jaw being inclined downwardly and inwardly,a slip for cooperation with the inclined surface of the casing andhaving a part interlocking with the casing for ,retaining the slipagainst dislodgment, the supporting element when in normal relation tothe casing preventing disengagement of said interlocking parts but uponretraction from the casing permitting said interlocking parts to bedisengaged from each other.

5. A slip socket comprising, in combination, a cylindrical barrel havingan internal shoulder at its lower end and which is internally threadedat its upper end, a cap for application to the upper end of the barreland having a threaded extension that is screwed into the barrel, a fixedjaw on the interior of the barrel, the same having a ledge engaging theshoulder of the barrel While its upper end is engaged by the aforesaidcap, a guide plate supported on the interior of the barrel opposite thefixed jaw,

said lplate havin a led e en a 'n the shoulder of the barel whil itsoplsitge end is engaged by the cap, means attaching the iXed aw andguide plate to the barrel, the guide plate having a portion of its innersurface inclined `downwardly and inwardly, a slip designed to ycooperatewith the inclined portion of the guide plate, the guide plate having aslot extending downwardly from its upper end, the barrel having a slotin register with but somewhat wider than the slot of the guide plate, astud carried by the slip and extending through the slot of the guideplate and terminating at its outer end in a head which occupies the slotof the barrel, the mouth of the barrel and the adjacent ends of the jawand guide plate being inclined upwardly and inwardly.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ax my signature.

ERNEST J. sHAFrER.

